Fitbit - calories

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jnie25
jnie25 Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
Question! I have my fitbit attached to this app, do I also log my workouts or do I just rely on the steps from my fitbit?

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  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    Rely on the Calories provided by the Fitbit for all step activity. If you have extra non-step exercise, such as swimming or bicycling, log them in MFP, entering the exact start time in MFP so that the Fitbit adjustment does not count those time periods as double activities.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Personally I always just let fitbit do its thing and never logged extra activities. You have to see what works for you. If you're logging extra exercise calories for non-step based activities, eating them back and still losing then keep it up. If you're not losing then its time to re-evaluate. I couldn't lose when eating so many extra calories.
  • jnie25
    jnie25 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thank you! I usually lift weights and walk so I will rely on my fitbit to count the calories for me.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    CyberTone wrote: »
    Rely on the Calories provided by the Fitbit for all step activity. If you have extra non-step exercise, such as swimming or bicycling, log them in MFP, entering the exact start time in MFP so that the Fitbit adjustment does not count those time periods as double activities.

    This is what I do. I have found it to be very accurate, used this approach to lose most of my weight and am successfully maintaining logging non-step based exercise in MFP, letting it sync up with FitBit, and then eating back most (if not all) of my calorie adjustments.

    If you are new to FitBit OP, I also found that it gets more accurate over time as it starts to "predict" your activity.

    Good luck!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Log food with MFP, any activity with Fitbit. They'll sync up and adjust as needed. I've also found that the calorie total it gives you on Fitbit is usually off, so I only pay attention to MFP for that. I don't know which one you have, but on mine there's an actual exercise mode, which is handy for when I actually do get to exercise.

    Another thing, if you have negative adjustments enabled, your total at the start of the day will be much smaller than your real total. This is because Fitbit starts you out at a certain amount, and as you move around and burn calories, will add to that. For me, it's much easier to turn off negative adjustments, but that'll be something you need to decide if you want to do.
  • jnie25
    jnie25 Posts: 9 Member
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    Where do I find out if I have negative adjustments on or off?
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    jnie25 wrote: »
    Where do I find out if I have negative adjustments on or off?

    ​Please see this article, and search for other helpful articles, on the MFP Help pages...

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1084233-should-i-turn-on-negative-calorie-adjustments-
  • sarah_debondt
    sarah_debondt Posts: 4 Member
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    How do I sync my Fitbit with this app? Any help would be appreciated pleasw
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    sarah_debondt wrote: »
    How do I sync my Fitbit with this app? Any help would be appreciated pleasw

    ​Please see this article, and search for other helpful articles, on the MFP Help pages...

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1082614-how-do-i-link-or-unlink-myfitnesspal-with-an-app-gallery-partner-
  • jnie25
    jnie25 Posts: 9 Member
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    one more question. When does it add the steps for Fitbit? Mine still say zero
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    jnie25 wrote: »
    one more question. When does it add the steps for Fitbit? Mine still say zero

    On MFP? I don't think it does. Mine doesn't show steps, it shows a calorie adjustment based on FitBit activity. To know how many steps, and how many total calories, etc - I look at my FitBit app.
  • ecr152
    ecr152 Posts: 17 Member
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    Fit bit only tracks steps right? What about weight lifting do u log that
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    jnie25 wrote: »
    one more question. When does it add the steps for Fitbit? Mine still say zero

    It'll add when it syncs, but you have to sync your Fitbit with the Fitbit site first. And it's not always instantaneous either, sometimes it takes a little bit to sync up. If the steps show up on your Fitbit app/dashboard, give it about 10 minutes and then check MFP. It should be synced up then.

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